The present invention relates to a numerical control system having a general purpose operating panel which can be attached thereto when necessary.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a conventional numerical control system (hereinafter referred to as an NC system when applicable). The NC system 10, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a setting and displaying section 1, an external operating section 2, a control section 3, a memory section 4, an arithmetic section 5, and an output section 6. In the settng and displaying section 1, a keyboard and a display unit including a cathode-ray tube are mounted on a dedicated operating panel. The section 1 is used when the operator writes programs or performs maintenance. The external operating section 2 is a machine operating panel which is used to externally start and stop the NC system. In FIG. 1, a machine tool 20 is controlled by the NC system 10. The input section for inputting data from an NC tape is not shown.
The setting and displaying section 1 and the control section 3 are shown in FIG. 2 in more detail. The setting and displaying section provided on the dedicated operating panel as described above includes the display unit 1A (which may be a cathode-ray tube or liquid crystal display panel), a setting key unit 1B including a keyboard which has dedicated keys used for programming, a control unit 1C for controlling keying inputs from the setting key unit 1B and contents to be displayed on the display unit 1A, a memory unit 1D in which displayed on the display unit 1A, a memory unit 1D in which display forms have been stored, and a data transmitting and receiving unit 1E for transmitting data to the control section 3 and receiving data from the control section 3. The control section 3 includes a data transmitting and receiving unit 3A for transmitting data to the setting and displaying section 1 and receiving data from the section 1, and a CPU (central processing unit) for controlling instruction data applied to the machine tool 20. Display data to be displayed on the display unit 1A, pilot lamp control signals, etc., is transmitted from the data transmitting and receiving unit 3A of the control section 3 to the data transmitting and receiving unit 1E of the setting and displaying section 1 according to a specified format. Data set by the setting key unit 1B is applied to the data transmitting and receiving unit 3A also according to a specified format.
FIG. 3 shows examples of the display unit 1A and the setting key unit 1B of the setting and displaying section 1 on the dedicated operating panel. FIG. 4 shows an example of the external operating section 2.
The operation of the conventional NC system thus constructed will be briefly described. When it is required to input a program, the keyboard 1B of the setting and displaying section on the operating panel is operated to input the program in an appropriate language, which is then stored in the memroy section 4 under the control of the control section 3. Thereafter, instructions are successively applied through the output section 6 to the machine tool 20 to control the latter according to the work program. The machine tool may be controlled according to data inputted through the input section in the same manner.
As described, the conventional NC system 10 has the dedicated operating panel on which the setting and displaying section 1 is provided. Accordingly, the NC system 10 is physically large, thus requiring a larger space for installation. Therefore, the conventional NC system is disadvantageous in that its installation position is limited and the manufacturing cost thereof is high.